we’ve all been at the meeting that feels interminable. the person in charge is shuffling through papers, or speaking in a monotonous tone, or there’s no end in sight or agenda. or there’s an agenda, but people meander blithely off topic and take merciless tangents. you dream of being able to do something more constructive — like your work.
here are some tips for reclaiming your sanity, and expanding work time:
- ask your boss if someone at the meeting can fill you in later, because you’re on a creative roll and don’t want to stop working. extra points for being so inspired.
- if the meeting is mandatory, and you suspect no one would buy your “on a creative roll” excuse anyway, then jot down work ideas as you’re listening. just as some people take better notes when simultaneously doodling, you may find paying attention easier when you’re able to simultaneously jot down an idea. be sure to participate in the meeting though, so it doesn’t seem like you’re working on your novel.
- honesty is truly the best policy – bosses need and appreciate feedback. if you can’t manage to slip in some work at the meeting, then be frank with your boss and say you need a better balance of work vs. meeting time for your projects. your boss should recognize the magnificence of this request. you should be instantly knighted.
- if you have a boss who doesn’t appreciate your quest to work more beyond meetings, and you’re expected to fully participate in lots of meetings by talking and strategizing, then you may have to concede that your job is to be in meetings – at least for the most part.
- if you have to work overtime in order to meet deadlines, then you’ve reached that proverbial fork in the road where you must ask yourself if it’s worth it. Ideally the answer will be yes. and that’s how you deal with it. if the answer is no, then join The Copy Lab, network with people from other agencies and recruiters, and find a better job with a more satisfying meetings-to-work-time ratio.
how do you deal with meeting overload? send advice!
by kim taylor
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